BBC journalist accuses Russian politician of sexual harassment

PR dla Zagranicy

Victoria Bieniek
07.03.2018 15:36

BBC correspondent Farida Rustamova has claimed she was sexually harassed by senior Russian politician Leonid Slutsky, becoming the third journalist to openly accuse him of inappropriate behaviour, the British state broadcaster said.

Leonid Slutsky. Photo: A.Savin/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The BBC said it was in possession of Rustamova's recording of her meeting with Slutsky, in which the Russian head of the foreign affairs committee can be heard saying: "I don't feel people up. Well, OK, just a little".

But Slutsky denied Rustamova's and others' accusations and threatened to take the women to court for defamation, the BBC reported.

The BBC also said Slutsky declined to comment about the day that the recordings were made.

Rustamova approached Slutsky on 24 March 2017 for a comment about then-French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, the broadcaster said.

During the conversation, Slutsky allegedly asked Rustamova to work for him, suggested she become his mistress and ran "the flat of his palm up against [her] nether region," the BBC said.